Costa Rica 2018: Birdin' in the Rain

[xelas]

@PeterHG that and more is awaiting you two in beautiful Costa Rica!

 

@Treepol I am not a fan of paying too much for the bed to sleep in, but Bosque del Cabo is so much more! You will enjoy your stay there, rain or shine.

[Peter Connan]

Magnificent series of Pelican shots!

[Zim Girl]

Yes, really enjoyed the pelican sequence.

[xelas]

There is one an only road on Cabo Matapalo, the one that connects Puerto Viejo with Carate, where is the end of that road. Its length is 44 kms, and even always way to optimistic Google Maps says driving time is 1hr 49 min; yes, that is an average of 25 km/h! This road is the most challenging road I have driven in the whole of Costa Rica. I am not saying that there are no other more challenging out there. They are. I have heard about the road that goes to Drake Bay. That one supposed to be a proper 4x4 territory, and not even that type of vehicle can always manage it. But back to our road. There are miriads of potholes. There are bridges one does not know to cross them our to avoid them (and on previous visits, I have avoided them as they were in worse shape). There are rivers to be crossed. Sounds horrible?! Well, as always there is also the bright side. This is also one of the most scenic roads I have been to, and for sure the most scenic lowland road. Dense secondary forest exchange place with wide meadows, where cattle shares them with wildlife. Birds galore. Views over Gofo Dulce. One has to see it to believe. So here are some photos to underline my words.

 

 

Tree-lined section of the road

 

A tunnel made by trees

 

Dogs are regulars ...

 

... and so are birds of prey

 

Happy coexistence

 

Red-breasted Blackbird, female and male

 

 

Blue-black Grassquit

 

Turkey Vulture

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2018 by xelas

[xelas]

About half way and before the road gains elevation by going uphill to the top of Cabo Matapalo is a place that just ask the driver to stop and take a well deserved break: Buena Esperanza Bar. Its vivid colours promises a lively environment to a weary traveller. They have excellent Pina Colada, a frosty cold beer, and for lunch they can prepare a tasty meal. I have not pass it without a stop. Also to either prepare mentally for one of the toughest river crossings that lies just ahead, or to thank myself I have made it again, without stalling the vehicle in the middle of the river. While rivers are a nuisance to drivers, they are also a paradise for water birds. 

 

Buena Esperanza Bar aka Martina's Place

 

The Crossing

 

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, adult and juvenile

 

 

White Ibis

 

Cattle Egret

 

 

Once over the river crossing next to Buena Esperanza, a sharp turn forks to a narrow track that leads you along the beautiful beaches of Cabo Matapalo all the way to the very tip. But what a track that is! I can understand all those visitors that have parked their vehicles close to the main road and decided that lugging their suitcase along to the house they have rented, or to the lodge, is easier then driving. Of course, if they would have an ATV ...

 

 

 

[xelas]

What better way to wrap up this part of our trip, and trip report, then by giving you more of that incredibly beautiful bird with an incredibly ugly voice. They are everywhere, far and near, perching and flying, and if not in your eye then for sure in your ear. Here it is the one and only Scarlet Macaw! Sorry for the overload of photos, but be prepared for more to come .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chakra]

1 hour ago, xelas said:

 

Quote

This road is the most challenging road I have driven in the whole of Costa Rica

Why am I getting sadistic pleasure visualising you and your co-passengers bouncing up and down like rag dolls inside the car on your way to Cabo Matapalo ? Because I experienced that first hand !! But as you correctly say Red breasted blackbirds sitting at every fence post help to ease the pain !! 

To call this a road would be the overstatement of the century. It should be described as one long continuous pothole interrupted by occasional and very short stretch of tar.  Surprisingly more you drive towards the Carate the road improves !! 

As you know I got stuck somewhere else in Osa but even that road was not as bad as this one and it was my fault trying to climb a slope in a wrong angle. 

I saw visitors of the two posh lodges being ferried by the lodge vehicles from airport to cabo matapalo.  I felt sorry for them as they did not know what they were missing 

 

 

 

 

[Zim Girl]

Beautiful Scarlet macaws.  The first one of the two flying in the mist is wonderful.

[michael-ibk]

I loved Bosque del Cabo simply for the view from our house, that gorgeous setting alone would be reason enough to go there and be perfectly happy. Just sit there, look out to the sea, and marvel at the infinite variatons of green and blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definitely the most cosy bed of the trip - and when you keep the door open you fall asleep with the Pacific as your curtain.

 

 

This little guy was saying hello on our arrival. I politely but firmly asked him to leave what was rightfully ours, and didn´t think too much of getting very close to shoo him out, on two occassions he almost jumped on me. Naturalist Phil told us two days later on a little night walk that these toads are pretty poisonous and skin contact is to be absolutely avoided. Oh well, good I did not know.

 

 

The outside bathroom. Often enough we could just choose between standing under the shower or just make do with a rain shower. The shampoos and shower gels they are using are 100 % bio-degradable.

 

 

Another house guest, a Leaf Praying Mantis.

 

 

This impressive fellow hung around in our garden - I guess it´s a Pacific Anole but Lizards and stuff are really not my forté. The males use their brilliant dewlaps to impress the ladies or to scare away rivals.

 

 

Our personal little House Wren.

 

 

Always beautiful birds to find in the gardens.

 

 

Red-Lored Parrot

 

 

Female Great Curassow, generously posing in the sun for me.

 

 

 

Green Honeycreeper

 

 

Bay-Headed Tanager

 

 

I took no photos of the dining area unfortunately. We enjoyed the full package, and especially breakfast and lunch were excellent. Dinner was very good but I´d rate it not as high as at Rancho Naturalista. What I really loved about BdC is that they are doing dinner African lodge style, ie. mixing guests together on tables, and so we had the pleasure of getting to know and chatting with some absolutely lovely people. Visitors from all over the world, we had Germans, Swiss, British and obviously from the States.

 

 

They have two pools, and this one looked too inviting not to be enjoyed.

 

 

Yellow-Throated Toucan

 

 

And the local Yellow-Headed Caracara.

 

 

Not the most inviting suspension bridge, the handrail is at low hip level. I was glad we didn´t have to cross here after dinner and all the ... "juice" I enjoyed.

 

 

Edited November 14, 2018 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

 

If you love Coatis (as I do) BdC is the perfect place - they are always around, completely unafraid, and it was a joy to watch them going after all their daily business.

 

 

Usually there are no males in the groups, Coati families are rather composed by females and their young.

 

 

 

 

The newborns are rarely seen. During foraging times, the young cubs are left with a pair of babysitters, similar to meerkats.

 

 

 

Agoutis are a constant presence as well. I remember seeing this species was a special event for me in the Pantanal, only one or two fleeting sightings there. Not a problem here at BdC where they are quite approachable although their flight distance is definitely much longer than that of the Coatis.

 

 

One late afternoon (when it was already pretty dark) we were delighted to see two babies - right next to the reception.

 

 

They are well developed at birth and may be up and eating within an hour. Fathers are barred from the nest while the young are very small, but the parents pair bond for the rest of their lives. They can live for as long as 20 years, a remarkably long time for a rodent.

 

 

Edited November 14, 2018 by michael-ibk

[PeterHG]

Agree on the first Macaw photo: really beautiful setting. And what a place, this BdC! The view is absolutely stunning. That suspension bridge, however, I would definitely give a miss, juice or no juice....;)

[michael-ibk]

 

I used Titi Trail quite a lot. Just a few steps off the road and you are entering into a pretty cool secondary forest which feels like you are really entering "the wild".

 

 

But I admit I was a bit underwhelmed. I had read so much about this place and the cool sightings which could happen here that of course I hoped we´d get to see something special as well. Well, we never did, and unfortunately were not with Alex for his extraordinary Peccary sighting. So while I did enjoy my walks there it certainly left me longing for more.

 

 

Antbirds are hard-to-get species but this was definitely the most productive area for them. Dot-Winged Antwren.

 

 

Plain Antvireo

 

 

Black-hooded Antshrike

 

 

Monkeys were always present. Hearing the Howler Monkeys go was quite impressive but we also hoped they would not get too excited - this often means impending rain.

 

 

Spider Monkeys were the most approachable species on the trails.

 

 

But they were actually much easier to get in the garden, they loved the ripe Avocados. We had to take care not to stand right under them - often they´d thrash the fruits down to the ground, and it wouldn´t be fun at all to get these on your head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crested Guan

 

 

Red-Tailed Squirrel

 

 

Alfaro´s Pygmy Squirrel. An uncommon species so i was delighted to see it.

 

 

Lineated Woodpecker

 

 

Pale-Billed Woodpecker

 

 

Black-Throated Trogon

 

 

We also did the Pacific Trail once. If you look at the pics showing the view from our house you will notice that it´s a long way down to the ocean. And it is! This is a very steep trail and especially going up again was quite an exercise, we were glad about any excuse (Look, another Howler! Another Tree! Another whatever!) to stop and pant for air.

 

 

 

 

 

Juvenile Black Hawk

[michael-ibk]

BdC have two naturalists on staff and offer several activities a day, jungle walk, night walk and similar outings, usually per about USD 20,-- or 30,--. I signed up for the "early bird walk" twice and enjoyed it a lot. I was very lucky the first time because I was the only one, the (excellent) guide quickly realized I was serious and so drove out with me to try to give me some specials.

 

 

A Common Pootoo, he knew where it was but it took him more than five minutes to locate the bird. I had to be at a very specific spot and follow one particular angle to see this master of camouflage. I tried to show the others later twice but failed miserably even though I´m convinced we were at the right place. Maybe the bird took off (some Spider Monkeys were moving through and could have scared it off) but I´m not sure - maybe it was still there, silently laughing about us blind folks.

 

 

Chestnut-Backed Antbird

 

 

Roseate Spoonbill, one of my favourites from our Pantanal visit years ago. I was particularly delighted about this sighting, it would remain the only one.

 

 

Bananaquit - not one of the "specials" but just posing nicely.

 

The second bird walk was quite different, a family from the US was with us, and of course the focus was very different, we´d go after Toucans, Curassows and all the common but colourful birds in the garden. But - and I was very happy about that - the guide looked for and found me a Baird´s Trogon.

 

 

Andreas and me also joined one night walk. Just a short stroll around the garden with naturalist Phil, and the rain considerably shortened it, but also a very nice and quite productive activity.

 

 

Masked Tree Frog. The female deposits as many as 2,000 eggs in small floating rafts.

 

 

Phil told us all the names but we did not take notes so really not sure about this one.

 

 

An easier one - the "Banana Frog", or to more accurate, the Hourglass Tree Frog.

 

 

Quite a loud species, most frogs use their calls to attract females and ward off rival males. Not without risk, some bat species can distinguish between the calls of edible and poisonous frogs. The amphibians take countermeasures - one strategy is the frog chorus. The cacophony confuses predators, and the source of an individual gets lost in all the noise. Hourglass Tree Frogs are unique in their reproductive plasticity allowing them to produce both aquatic and arboreal eggs.

 

 

Our old friend, the Red-Eyed Tree Frog

 

 

Some wandering spider, a pretty venomous one according to Phil IIRC.

 

 

And a Tarantula. When we approached the pond (which was right next to our house) Phil told us to stay straight in line after him because this is the home of a Fer-De-Lance, one of the most dangerous snakes of Costa Rica. He could not locate it however but found a Northern Cat-Eyed Snake.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2018 by michael-ibk

[Alexander33]

Congratulations on the Baird’s trogon, Michael.  That’s such a special find. After two trips, I’ve yet to see one, and you had a nice unobstructed view. Those are great shots of the various frogs, as well.

 

And, oh, yes, I well remember the Pacific Trail. Thank God for that platform with the water hose and chairs (about 3/4 of the way down). It makes climbing back up so much more feasible! (I appreciated the Titi Trail just because it was mostly flat). 

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by Alexander33

[Zim Girl]

Lovely pictures of the frogs Michael.

[michael-ibk]

 

This frog would probably be inclined to disagree but the day I took this photo was our best - a nice private birding outing with the guide in the morning (with Potoo, Spoonbill and other good stuff), delicious breakfast and nice monkey sightings back at the lodge, and then, after some short rain, a sunny and almost cloudless day which we spent at the very productive meadows along the road to Puerto Jimenez and also the beach where Pelicans and Macaws did their very best to entertain us. Cap it off with an interesting frog and snake night walk at the lodge, good dinner with nice chats and a few bottles of one or two glasses of wine - does not get much better.

 

 

This was two days earlier, on our way in, and the weather more typical of our trip but it already clearly proved that there really was no need to worry if we´d get to see the iconic Scarlet Macaw - it´s really impossible to not see them on Osa.

 

Some snippets from the meadows:

 

 

Red-Breasted Blackbird

 

 

Roadside Hawk, a raptor we eventually stopped to stop for.

 

 

Bare-Throated Tiger Heron

 

 

Red-Crowned Woodpecker

 

 

 

Northern Crested Caracara

 

 

Caught in a less dignified fashion here - "Ew, no, don´t eat that, please!"

 

 

Green Kingfisher

 

 

THE Osa bird.

 

 

Tropical Kingbird, an absolutely abundant species. Probably one of the five most common birds we saw.

 

 

 

 

Common Black Hawk.

 

 

Our only (and distant) glimpse of a Crocodile in this area.

 

 

 

Juvenile Yellow-Headed Caracara

 

And probably my favourite sighting - this pair of Crimson-Fronted Parakeet should be hired for a Valentine´s promotional.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

 

The monkey sighting I mentioned was this one - the Red-Backed Squirrel Monkey. Absolutely adorable animals, and they were performing for us just in front of our house. You cannot help smiling when watching these guys.

 

 

This animal is classified as "vulnerable" which is actually a step up, they had already been "endangered" before. Deforestation, hunting and capture for the pet trade lead to a catastrophic decline in the 1970s, from more than 200,000 to less than 5,000!

 

 

Looking peaceful here? Absolutely: The Squirrel Monkey has one of the most egalitarian social structures of all monkeys. Females do not form dominance hierarchies, and males do so only at breeding season.

 

 

Ha, caught me some breakfast!

 

 

I´m sure this will be delicious!

 

 

*"§$()§$, what is this sh§$=(§=($ I´m eating here? Bwaaaah!

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

I´m getting lazy now - a last batch of photos from the beaches to conclude the BdC chapter:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Peter Connan]

Two lovely sets of photos Michael!

[PeterHG]

What a great set of pictures of the Squirrel Monkeys! I absolutely love those facial expressions.

[CDL111]

Superb photographs, like your suggestion on valentine’s promotion.

[shazdwn]

Wow, just caught up with this fantastic report. Even with the rain it sounds like an amazing trip. Costa Rica is high on my wish list - who can resist toucans, hummingbirds, macaws and monkeys? 

[michael-ibk]

Almost the end of the journey for @AndMic and me, we had only one full day left before our return to Europe. Alex had chosen Manuel Antonio at the Pacific Coast for our last two nights before dropping us off at the airport. Zvezda and him would be fortunate enough to enjoy one more week in the country after that. Where the Osa Peninsual is the epitome of a wild, untamed Costa Rica Manuel Antonio is the exact opposite - an extremely touristic and crowded place. Wiki states it´s the most visited park in Costa Rica and it definitely shows. I have to admit it was almost a shock when we arrived, shops, restaurants, hotels, street vendors, souvenirs and just business everywhere around - what a contrast to the serene beauty of Bosque del Cabo. I noticed we didn´t really take photos of the centre and our accomodation which is probably quite telling. Yes, I was not exactly thrilled with the place upon our arrival, almost was dizzy with all the hustle and bustle and, in all honesty, was a bit disenchanted we´d have to spend the remainder of our holiday here. But Manuel Antonio would win me over the next day, and especially our afternoon in the park and the morning before our departure were beautiful and I remember them very fondly.

 

 

On our first morning the weather was not to great, and maybe all of us wanted to get away, so we decided to try the hinterlands. We had read about an area called "Esquipulas" as being a great birding destination so we tried our luck. It was not bad, the foothillls were charming and wonderfully quiet but not exactly sensational either.

 

 

Boat-Billed Flycatcher. Extremely similar to the omnipresent Kiskadee, only the (slightly larger) bill and the lack of rufous in the wings help to tell it apart.

 

 

 

Slaty-Tailed Trogon, the last bird from this gorgeous bird family we´d see.

 

 

 

Social Flycatcher

 

 

 

Grey-Capped Flycatcher

 

 

Cherrie´s Tanager. The males look absolutely identical to their Carribean counterpart, the Passerini´s Tanager. These two species have been lumped back to the old "Scarlet-Rumped Tanager" this year.

 

 

Scaly-Breasted Hummingbird

[michael-ibk]

 

With only 7,5 square miles Manuel Antonio may be Costa Rica´s smallest park but its biodiversity is quite astonishing - 109 mammal and 184 bird species have been recorded here. And given the amount of visitors and the limited space to retreat many animals have become very habituated so close sightings are guaranteed. Especially true for the Capuchins, they are pretty feisty around the beaches and eager to steal any kind of food left unguarded just for a second. Howlers can also be seen easily, and we also glimpsed some Squirrel Monkeys. They, at least, bevave more naturally. Didn´t take pictures of the Capuchins - just not the most photogenic setting with dozens of tourists standing around them.

 

 

Agouti

 

 

Most tourists just visit Manuel Antonio for its gorgeous beaches, so I would not even say wildlife is its main draw. Most visitors we saw headed straight to the first two beaches (Playa Espadilla Sur Beach and Playa Manuel Antonio) and would apparently stay there. Which was good because it meant the trails a bit further in and also to the small waterfalls were much quieter.

 

 

Riverside Wren

 

 

 

 

Helmeted Iguana

 

 

I enjoyed the Mangrove section closer to the beaches, such an unusual habitat.

 

 

Smooth-Billed Ani

 

 

Squirrel Cuckoo

 

 

White Ibis

 

 

 

Mangrove Hummingbird - an important tick for birders, this is one of only four Costa Rica endemics. (The country shares a lot of endemics with neighbouring Panama.)

 

[michael-ibk]

 

Playa Manuel Antonio

 

 

 

I was delighted to see two Raccoons - believe it or not, I have never seen one. They have lost all fear of humans here and are attracted by food leftovers. I guess they are Crab-Eating Raccoons which does clash a bit with their  Wiki entry which states they are never found in mangrove habitats and, unlike Northern Raccoons, rarely adapt to human presence. 

 

 

 

Howler Monkey

 

And Manuel Antonio is a very good place to see Sloth. Since this was probably our Nr. 1 "Must See" Animal for the trip this felt like a very welcome farewell present.